Priests for Life

February 08, 2018

ATLANTA -- Alveda King, Director of Civil Rights for the Unborn for Priests for Life, said she is grateful and honored to have been named to serve on the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission by President Trump.

“Black History Month is full of surprises this year,” Ms. King said. “President Donald J. Trump has honored one of my heroes, Frederick Douglass, by forming the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission. It’s a blessing to serve America as a new member of the Commission.”

The 16-member Commission was established by an act of Congress and signed into law by President Trump last November.

Douglass was born into slavery in 1818 on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and rose to become one of the nation’s most eloquent and passionate abolitionists. He led the effort to allow black men – including two of his sons -- to fight in the Union Army and, through his friendship with President Lincoln, ensured that emancipation of the slaves was a goal of the Civil War. He also served in various capacities under Presidents Rutherford, Hayes, Harrison and Grant.

Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, noted that the appointment was one of several honors Ms. King has received from President Trump. She was invited to the White House Rose Garden ceremony in May 2016 when the president signed an executive order on religious liberty. Ms. King was with the president a year ago when he toured the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture. She also was on board Air Force One in January when President Trump established the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, Georgia’s first national historic park.

“The appointment to the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission is an honor for Alveda King and it’s an honor for our Priests for Life family of ministries,” Father Pavone said. “We are very proud that she will be providing input on ways to honor such an important American leader.”